Complaints Procedure

How we handle complaints made against the company or its agents and employees.

Our Complaints Procedure

Are You Owed Money constantly strives to maintain high standards. We often self assess and look to achieve excellent levels of service. We always look to surpass industry standards and adhere to best practices to ensure you are happy with us.

Not every collection is a smooth process. If this has been the case and you would like to speak to somebody about it we have a dedicated complaints procedure to resolve your issues. We take all customer feedback very seriously so if you feel something needs addressing please get in touch.

Your Complaint

What is a Complaint?

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, for whatever reason, this is a complaint and will be dealt with under our procedure.

How is a Complaint made?

All complaints must be made in writing (via letter or email). Please address complaints to our Customer Services Manager at either our main address:

Who does the complaint need to be addressed to?

Your complaint should be directed to our Customer Services Manager. Your complaint will always be investigated by somebody independent of the original problem.

Do I need to fill in a complaints form?

No, however please ensure you make it clear:

That you are making a complaint

The reason for the complaint

If appropriate, the person you are complaining about and the actions which brought about the complaint

How you have been affected

Suggestions you have as to how the issue could be resolved

Your complaint will still be extensively considered even if the above information is not included.

Our first response

What response should I expect to receive from my complaint?

Within five business days of your complaint, we will send to you:

A written acknowledgement confirming who will be dealing with your complaint and how to contact that person

An indication of how long it will take to resolve your complaint

A copy of this complaints procedure

What if AYOM needs more information from me?

If we need more information we will request it from you. Even if you do not provide the information, we will still continue with this complaints procedure. In that case we will only be able to resolve the complaint acting on what we have been given.

How long does the investigation take?

We aim to complete our investigation within four weeks from receipt. If we are unable to do so we will contact you in writing after four weeks. This will update you on:

Why it has not yet been concluded

When we will make further contact

If the process is going to take more than eight weeks, we will again contact you in writing to advise:

We need more time and why

An estimate of how long we think it will take us to resolve your complaint

Our Report

Once our investigation is complete, we will write to you with our findings. Our response will set out:

Our findings

If your complaint is upheld, how we intend to rectify the situation

If your complaint is not upheld, our reasons for coming to this decision

Your rights of appeal against our decision

Details of what steps you can take to pursue the complaint (including your rights to refer the matter to The Financial Ombudsman Service – if this applies to your case).

What do I need to do next?

If you accept our findings you will need to confirm in writing. If you do not write to us within 8 weeks of receipt of our response, we will assume you are satisfied with the outcome of the complaint and will not write to you again. Any offer of redress or other proposals we made will be automatically withdrawn.

If you do not accept our response and wish to take the matter further, you can appeal against the decision. You simply need to contact The Customer Services Manager in writing and advise us that you wish to appeal against the outcome of the complaint, and why you remain dissatisfied. The case will then go on to the appeals stage.

Appeals

You have eight weeks from receiving our response in which to appeal. Your case will then be re-considered by another AYOM contact who will review the decision made.

You will receive a letter, called a "final response" within eight weeks of your original complaint (however, this time limit may be extended by the number of weeks you took to appeal against our first response less one week). The final response will be a letter advising you:

That we have finished reviewing your appeal

The outcome of the review

If your complaint is upheld, how we intend to rectify the situation

If your complaint is not upheld, our reasons for coming to this decision

That if you remain unhappy with our final response, what steps you can take to pursue the complaint (including your rights to refer the matter to The Financial Ombudsman Service – if this applies to your case).

If you wish to take further action

Everyone we deal with is covered by this complaints procedure. The formal notice after appeal stage will be the end of our formal complaints procedure unless your case is covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service. (i.e. people who have entered into a regulated Consumer Credit Agreement or a regulated Consumer Hire Agreement).

You can ask advice from us or from the Financial Ombudsman Service to find out if you are covered. In such cases you have the right to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. If you wish to do so, an explanation of the procedure and time scales involved will be sent to you with our final response.